Quality audio mod for $2500, makes sense?

[Bumbo]

The thing is that none of the cars have really good quality stock audio. Some, like GX460, might have decent systems but properly done aftermarket will always be better. Now because of that I'm pretty much set on putting aftermarket audio in the vehicle that I purchase, whatever the vehicle would be.
With that in mind, what's the point of paying more for car with slightly better audio and then throwing whole audio away just to put even better in?

I think your comment is very exaggerated. Let's think again, stock GX460 does really have better audio than 4Runner with $10k upgrades?

I wouldn’t buy a GX because the stock audio is better per-say, I would buy a GX because the factory sound deadening is better and the cabin overall is quieter and gives a better starting point for an audio system.

Plus… the GX is still a pretty sweet rig.

 

[cb1111]

There is something wrong if you are basing the purchasing decision of a 4R on the audio system - or what you can do to make the 4R an audiophile's haven.

You can put lipstick on a pig....

The 4R is a great vehicle, but there are some things it'll never be - sports car, luxo-barge and it'll never be named as "best hi-fi ever"

 

[Bumbo]

go with an OEM plus.. you could throw the most expensive name branded equipment all into a vehicle but if you dont have it tuned properly, it'll sound like shit and you'll regret it

OEM plus is tuned and half the price of your budget

Interesting… I haven’t kept up to date with all these aftermarket options but this seems like a nice options for someone who really “doesn’t want to think about it” or might not be interested in really getting into all the details about setup.

I would be curious to run some sweeps on their setup, to see what the tune looks like. I feel like it’s similar to buying a supercharger and getting a generic tune flashed, vs having a tuner provide a custom tune on a dyno. More often than not, it’s the latter that provides better results, but the former is more than enough to get you up and running without blowing up your engine.

That said, I am sure it’s great, and more than adequate for almost all people considering an upgrade in that price range. All that really matters at the end of the day is, does it sound good to you? Tune will certainly help meet that goal, but some personal preference might flavor the end result as well. Really depends on the person… I have a friend that cant tell the difference between a pair of $250 studio monitors and a $1000 pair, which to me is frustrating when he says that because its blatantly obvious to me.

 

[Mutant138]

For 2500 I can swap my front coils, get a steel bumper, and a winch.

Just swap the speakers out and throw in a better sub (maybe a new head unit too). Save your money.

Road noise will wash a lot of the quality out. IMO a $2500 sound system is a waste in our noisy tin cans. Save it for something more refined. I find the stock TRD OR speakers to be adequate (no more no less).

 

[BillSwan]

There is something wrong if you are basing the purchasing decision of a 4R on the audio system - or what you can do to make the 4R an audiophile's haven.

You can put lipstick on a pig....

The 4R is a great vehicle, but there are some things it'll never be - sports car, luxo-barge and it'll never be named as "best hi-fi ever"

I have 1974 4x4 Chevrolet Blazer K5 heavily modded. It's loud in there, there's no way to even listen to the music. I'm getting 4Runner now as milder version for daily driving. I thought I would ask about audio as I am generally good audio enthusiast and I want to understand where on the spectrum 4Runner is. I'm not into luxury comfort stuff, I like simple, easy to fix, not complicated. That's exactly what 4Runner is.

 

[Bumbo]

There is something wrong if you are basing the purchasing decision of a 4R on the audio system - or what you can do to make the 4R an audiophile's haven.

You can put lipstick on a pig....

The 4R is a great vehicle, but there are some things it'll never be - sports car, luxo-barge and it'll never be named as "best hi-fi ever"

I agree... Toyota could have sold my 4Runner without a stereo and I would have still bought it.

 

[Bumbo]

Road noise will wash a lot of the quality out. IMO a $2500 sound system is a waste in our noisy tin cans. Save it for something more refined. I find the stock TRD OR speakers to be adequate (no more no less).

Between the mud terrains and roof rack… I have given up on trying to hear anything these days.

 

[BillSwan]

Between the mud terrains and roof rack… I have given up on trying to hear anything these days.

Roof rack + wind is very noisy in your setup? Is that what you are referring to?

 

[Bumbo]

Roof rack + wind is very noisy in your setup? Is that what you are referring to?

Yes sir, but only at highway speeds... you get a bit of turbulence up there and it generates some wind noise which tends to make you want to talk a bit louder.

It was improved by a large degree once I got a fairing, but it is still noticeably nosier than stock.

 

[RusPro17]

I have had audio systems in a lot of my vehicles over the years. Did not touch my 17 Pro. I have a friend that owns audio store been dealing with him for years. My last install a few back was my C5 Z06 corvette. Yes the systems suck in a Vette. Bose Audio. Well that all came out and all the interior and sound and heat deadening in the car. I told him what audio stuff to put in. Him and his installer were blown away on how it sounded. They do car audio competition and I could have put my Z in a show. They never thought it would sound that good in Vette. Sound deadening everything in the 4runner would definitely help. I don’t think the road noise is bad in my 4runner. But if I was to upgrade my system I would be looking at what I could sound proof. But I think you can have a decent install done for 2500.00.

 

[2016 4Runner SR5]

I don't think there's any question that Lexus engineers can design a better audio system than you. And they have. And it is better than anything you could come close to for $10k.

They can choose the location of every speaker, they choose the wiring loom, they choose the speaker size, type, and enclosure. They also choose the sound dampening. And they likely spent hundreds or thousands of hours tuning the system. (I don't know on the GX - but Lexus spent multiple thousands of hours of tuning on the LS, presumably less on the GX). For $10k you could replace the components that they installed with a hodgpodge of stuff you hope works out to be something better once. No tuning. Not testing a dozen tweeter configurations, etc.

Can you upgrade a base model 4Runner? Sure. Will it be comparable to the GX Levenson system? No. Is a low mile used GX with the Levinson system available for about the same price as a used 4Runner? Yep. If you want the obvious solution to a better audio system with little effort and about the same cost - the answer is pretty clear. If you want the 4Runner for other reasons instead of a GX - then by all means upgrade the audio system. If I really cared much about the audio, I'd short cut to the finished product.

You've clearly never been in a car with a $10,000 system in it. The Lexus system is better but not by much. Engineers stick speakers wherever they fit and tune them for the masses. There is no real engineering put into it at all. What you're saying is 100% wrong in every single way. Stock in everything on the planet is mediocre at best.

 

[cb1111]

You've clearly never been in a car with a $10,000 system in it. The Lexus system is better but not by much. Engineers stick speakers wherever they fit and tune them for the masses. There is no real engineering put into it at all. What you're saying is 100% wrong in every single way. Stock in everything on the planet is mediocre at best.

Not quite right, but you do raise the basic issue.

Manufacturers are constrained by the basic box - vibrating thin metal panels, nicely reflective glass panels, some of which are fixed and some that vibrate, absorbent carpet and seating. Then there is wind noise, road noise and engine noise - oh and the ceiling is metal and glass too.

These are all things that you don't get in your normal listening environment and while you can dump far more than $10k into a car system, the best you can hope for is a good sounding system standing still, but all bets are off as soon as the car starts moving.

While you can dampen the unwanted panel vibrations, you can't do much about the glass and manufacturers generally do a pretty decent job depending on the category of vehicle. You can bet that spending money on a killer sound system isn't high up on the list for the 4R.

 

[2016 4Runner SR5]

Not quite right, but you do raise the basic issue.

Manufacturers are constrained by the basic box - vibrating thin metal panels, nicely reflective glass panels, some of which are fixed and some that vibrate, absorbent carpet and seating. Then there is wind noise, road noise and engine noise - oh and the ceiling is metal and glass too.

These are all things that you don't get in your normal listening environment and while you can dump far more than $10k into a car system, the best you can hope for is a good sounding system standing still, but all bets are off as soon as the car starts moving.

While you can dampen the unwanted panel vibrations, you can't do much about the glass and manufacturers generally do a pretty decent job depending on the category of vehicle. You can bet that spending money on a killer sound system isn't high up on the list for the 4R.

You can't do anything about glass but you can do quite a bit about road noise. Look into SQL, you'll be surprised at what you might learn. You are correct in saying it's much more difficult to keep your SQ levels high while in motion. That's where the L comes into play. Much more difficult to do but absolutely possible if you know what you're doing.

 

[Jetboy]

You've clearly never been in a car with a $10,000 system in it. The Lexus system is better but not by much. Engineers stick speakers wherever they fit and tune them for the masses. There is no real engineering put into it at all. What you're saying is 100% wrong in every single way. Stock in everything on the planet is mediocre at best.

You need to listen to a ML system. I'm sure Chaz at your local strip mall audio center is a real pro. Probably has a PhD in physics justlike the engineers at Harmon who design the ML systems right? And thousands of hours in a lab to test and tune?

Better than Naim?

The Automotive Hi-Fi System Shootout - Gear Patrol

On of us is 100%wrong. It's not me.

 

[2016 4Runner SR5]

You need to listen to a ML system. I'm sure Chaz at your local strip mall audio center is a real pro. Probably has a PhD in physics justlike the engineers at Harmon who design the ML systems right? And thousands of hours in a lab to test and tune?

Better than Naim?

The Automotive Hi-Fi System Shootout - Gear Patrol

On of us is 100%wrong. It's not me.

You don't actually think stock systems have any real thought put into them do you? I have been in the car audio industry since the late 90s I have never in my life heard a factory system I would consider anything more than mediocre. There are some that are significantly better than others, but none that can hold a torch to a properly designed aftermarket SQ or SQL system.

 

[mailbox]

Just based on what I pulled out of my 4runner, the sound engineering amounted to "well it vibrates the air"

 

[Jetboy]

You don't actually think stock systems have any real thought put into them do you? I have been in the car audio industry since the late 90s I have never in my life heard a factory system I would consider anything more than mediocre. There are some that are significantly better than others, but none that can hold a torch to a properly designed aftermarket SQ or SQL system.

Lexus spent over 2,000 hours just tuning the LS system. Nothing any local shop has ever built is comparable. They lack the capability. They don't have the ability to custom design speakers, amps, etc. Harmon/Levinson/Samsung has everything including the manufacturing ability to build anything they want and the experts and lab testing equipment to dial it in. No local shop can do that. Ever. They have off the shelf parts and usually nothing beyond their ears to try to tune it.

It's like saying your local strip mall drum store is making better drums than Yamaha. They're not.

Is a gx as good as an ls? No. Is it better than anything you could build piecemeal for $10k in a 4runner. Yep.

 

[cb1111]

Lexus spent over 2,000 hours just tuning the LS system. Nothing any local shop has ever built is comparable. They lack the capability. They don't have the ability to custom design speakers, amps, etc. Harmon/Levinson/Samsung has everything including the manufacturing ability to build anything they want and the experts and lab testing equipment to dial it in. No local shop can do that. Ever. They have off the shelf parts and usually nothing beyond their ears to try to tune it.

It's like saying your local strip mall drum store is making better drums than Yamaha. They're not.

Is a gx as good as an ls? No. Is it better than anything you could build piecemeal for $10k in a 4runner. Yep.

A local audio shop could possibly design a system that would sound better standing still. Of course you'd have speakers in awkward places, lose much storage and affect the driveability.

Can a hot rod shop turn a 4R into a Corvette killer? Throw enough money at it and you probably can, but it won't work as a 4R anymore.

 

[2016 4Runner SR5]

Lexus spent over 2,000 hours just tuning the LS system. Nothing any local shop has ever built is comparable. They lack the capability. They don't have the ability to custom design speakers, amps, etc. Harmon/Levinson/Samsung has everything including the manufacturing ability to build anything they want and the experts and lab testing equipment to dial it in. No local shop can do that. Ever. They have off the shelf parts and usually nothing beyond their ears to try to tune it.

It's like saying your local strip mall drum store is making better drums than Yamaha. They're not.

Is a gx as good as an ls? No. Is it better than anything you could build piecemeal for $10k in a 4runner. Yep.

Enter your stock LS in a SQ competition and I'll enter any vehicle with a properly designed and tuned $10,000 SQ system and we'll see what happens. You'll be laughed at and I'll take home the trophy. It's that simple. But I'm done arguing with someone that very obviously has absolutely no real word experience when it comes to this stuff. :first:

 

[Superjet]

OEM systems are designed with one key thing in mind, not damaging the speakers. They do not want their reliability tarnished and certainly do not want warranty work needing to be performed. That is why you get bass roll off as you turn the system up and also a limiter on the volume control.